Three Most Surprising Pirates Performers in 2026

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong season so far and have had some impressive performances so far.

The Pirates sit 22-19 after 41 games, with the ninth-best record in baseball, but just the fourth-best record in the National League Central, as they are in the toughest division in baseball.

It's still a massive turnaround for the Pirates, who were 14-27 at this same time last year and had recently fired manager Derek Shelton after a 12-26 start.

The Pirates have gotten here thanks to a few stand out players and also three players having much better showings in 2026 than anyone would've anticipated.

Nick Gonzales Amongst Best Hitters in Baseball

No one would've really expected Nick Gonzales to have the season he's had so far, but the Pirates will take his performances every game going forward.

Gonzales has slashed .316/.380/.360 for an OPS of .740 in 37 games, with 43 hits in 136 at-bats, six doubles, 18 RBI and 11 walks to 26 strikeouts.

His 43 hits lead the Pirates and his .316 batting average is 10th-best in MLB and seventh-best in NL.

Gonzales has been excellent over the past 18 games, since their previous road trip that started vs. the Texas Rangers, slashing .371/.450/.414 for an OPS of .864 and secured the third base starting role.

He's moving around a bit more now that Jared Triolo has returned, but his peformances at the plate will keep him getting starts moving forward.

Mason Montgomery Quietly A Strong Southpaw Bullpen Option

The Pirates swung a big trade with the Tampa Bay Rays this past winter, where they added second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and also left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery.

Montgomery had promise when he joined the Pirates, with a four-seam fastball that regularly touched 100+ mph and an impressive slider that got a high whiff rate.

He added a curveball to his pitch mix this year and his slider is even more dominant, not allowing a hit on it yet. He's also gotten a whiff rate of 45.5% and 45.0% on those two pitches, respectively.

His fastball is also averaging 98.5 mph and he's gotten 15 strikeouts on it so far, serving as his dominant pitch.

Montgomery had a tough start to the campaign, with five earned runs allowed in his first five appearances but has thrown 11 straight scoreless outings and hasn't given up a run in more than a month.

The Pirates have relied on him in tough situations and he's come through for them many times, such as in the 7-6 defeat to the San Francisco Giants in the series finale at Oracle Park on May 10, where he took down five straight batters to keep it tied at 4-4 late on.

His presence has been great for the Pirates, as having a reliable southpaw like him makes for a much better bullpen overall.

Oneil Cruz Becoming Hitters the Pirates Envisioned

The Pirates hoped that Oneil Cruz would finally put together a good season from the plate and he's definitely done that in 2026.

He is slashing .255/.320/.473 for an OPS of .793 in 39 games, with 42 hits, 31 runs scored, six doubles, his 10 home runs, 29 RBI and his 15 stolen bases.

His 10 home runs are tied with Lowe, tied for15th-most in baseball and tied for seventh-most in the NL. His 15 stolen bases are third-most in baseball and second-most in the NL.

Cruz was the first player in MLB to 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases and he is on pace for 41 home runs and 62 stolen bases this season.

Maybe most surprising is how well he's hit against left-handed pitching, particularly after batting .102 against them in 2025.

Cruz is slashing .340/.365/.620 for an OPS of .985 against southpaws, with 17 hits in 50 at-bats, two doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI against southpaws this season.

It's been a great start for Cruz, but the Pirates will want to see him keep it up as the season progresses.

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